The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-04-09


master. The party that bids for the
saloon vote must guarantee the saloon
interest. The man whom the saloon
has put in office, can never be trusted
to do ought hostile to the saloon. The
saloon is one of the most efficient and the
most demoralizing political influences
known in our day. 1t throws its whole
weight on the side of political corrup-
tion. Nothing politically pure and good
comes out Of it. 1t advocates no polit-
ical reform, and is never found on the
side of law and order. 1t is dead to
everything but its own interest. In
politics it has only one object, it is
animated by only one motive, lives for
only one purpose-the security, per-
petuity and prosperity of its own dia-
bolical trade.
There is only one thing, therefore, for
righteous community to do with the
saloon. A community that loves right
eousness and hates iniquity, can have
only one object in dealing with the sa-
loon, can be animated by only one mo-
tive, can be animated by only one pur-
pose, its utter suppression and extinc-
tion. To understand our duty in this
matter, we must get down to the solid
fact that the saloon has no right to be.
1t serves no purpose of good it is an
institution for evil and evil only. The
law of social health and preservation
gives community the right to do any
thing it pleases with it. 1t is social
nuisance and, therefore, may be abated
like any other nuisance The COM
munity has right to restrict it, sup
press it, to drive it beyond its limits like
pest or a slaughter-house.
The license law does not create the
saloon or give it right to be. The
source of the saloon is in human appe-
tite and human greed. 1t is only a
means for the qualification of those pas
sions and the only right it has to exist
ence is found in that moral and social
weakness that renders that qualification
necessity. The license law is confess
sion of this weakness coupled with an
effort to make the saloon pay the expen-
ses ofits own existence. tits simply tax
on the qualification Of human appetite
and greed. Through it the community
merely says to the saloon: "You exist.
You are born of human diabolism that
.iastill IN orr midst. That diabolism
is so great that we cannot suppress you.
We would kill you if we could, but we
cannot ; but we can and will tax you :;
we will make you pay for your life we
will levy tribute upon you, for all the
trouble and expense you cause" That
is the true theory Of the license law. 1t
is law whose only justification is the
low moral condition and social weak
ness of the people. 1t has no justifica-
tion among people whose moral con-
dition is high enough and social strength
is sufficient to utterly abolish the sa-
loon. For such people license law
would be crime. They would not be
living up to their possibilities. They
would be tolerating an evil they have
the power to suppress. Only when
this is impossible is license law justifi-
able. Only when people are power
less to do better are they justified in re-
sorting to license or tax law. The IL
cense law does not create the saloon or
in any way encourage its existence. 1t
is for the sole purpose of restricting it,
Of weakening its power for evil, of sup
pressing it so far as possible. This is
the purpose of it's institution and exist
ence, and to this end it should be exc
cuted. A comm unity that can do no
better than to have this law ought to
make it and execute it in the very spirit
and letter of this purpose. 1t ought to
make the tax just as high as possible,
not as high as the business can possibly
pay and prosper, but just as high as the
people can be induced to make. 1t
should be killing tax. 1t should be a
tax for the killing of saloons. In fine
the law should be so drawn as in every
way to burden the business and grind
it down to the lowest point.
Then it should be administered in the
interest of the community, and not in
the interest of the saloon. The govern
ment should be made to clearly under
stand that the law is for the protection
of society and not for the promotion of
the saloon interest, and to this end it
should administer the law. 1t should
bring its whole force to bear on the sa-
loon. 1t should show the saloon no IA
yors. 1t should grant it no quarter.
Within the limit of the law it should
make constant warfare upon all its in
terests Only in so much as the law
compels should it favor the saloon.
Having a license or tax law, this is the
spirit and the purpose, in which and
for which it ought to be administered.
1t is easy to see, therefore, in whose
hands the government must be. 1t
must be in the hands of the enemies
and not in the hands of the friends of
the saloon. If il is. if the salOOD makes